Antistatic and rewetting treatment of textile material



United States Patent ANTISTATIC AND REWETTING TREATMENT OF TEXTILE MATERIAL Ernest I. Welles, New York, N. Y., and Sidney M. Edelstein, Elizabeth, N. J., assignors to Dexter Chemical (Jorporation, a corporation of New York No Drawing. Application November 18, 1954, Serial No. 469,852

Claims. (Cl. 252-83) This invention relates to a textile treating composition and textile material processed therewith. More specifically, the invention relates to textile treatment to provide antistatic and rewetting properties.

The invention provides a composition in which a component that does not itself supply the necessary antistatic elfect promotes that effect of another component of the composition.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises an antistatic and rewetting composition for textile materials comprising a hydroxy amine containing a large proportion of hydrocarbon and a promoter thereof in the form of a polyhydric alcohol. In one embodiment, the invention includes also a surface active anionic'agent to improve the functioning of the other ingredients and suitably also a solvent to clarify and dilute the treating solution at the time of use.

The textile material treated by us is one of those for which the assumption of a static electric charge and non- Wettability by water are substantial disadvantages in use. Examples of such textiles that are improved particularly by our treatment are those consisting in whole or in large part of nylon, glycol terephthalate (Dacron), acrylonitrile polymers such as Orlon, Acrylan, and Dynel, and cellulose acetate. These materials, it is to be understood, include the usual admixtures or compounding ingredients now used commercially in the textile having the principal ingredient stated, and also may include interfabricated cotton, rayon, wool, or other wettable fibers. Our treatment is beneficial, however, with wool, silk, and the like. Although the textile may be fiber or thread, we use it ordinarily in the form of woven or knitted fabric.

The treating composition may be applied to the textile material by immersion of the textile material, padding on, or spraying on. Because the composition after compounding is somewhat substantive as to the essential materials, the composition may be applied by passage of the textile material, as in fabric form, through a relatively weak solution of the treating material. The textile substantially exhausts the essential ingredients of the bath. of treating solution in spite of the known infinite solubility of one or more of them. This substantivity or similar property imparted to the whole by the mixed components makes possible rinsing of the textile produced one or two times, after the application, without washin'g away the water soluble material applied to the textile.

Once these effects have been observed, various theories may be advanced to explain the mechanism by which they are achieved. We consider that the polyglycol or other polyhydric alcohol used causes our treating material to discharge the static electricity from the amine as the latter takes the static from the textile material; this leaves. the amine in condition to remove additional static .from the textile. The adsorption of one material on the textile improves the retention on the textile of another freely soluble material.

Whatever may be the exact explanation of the mecha- Patented Oct. 8, 1957 nism of the action, the effects of our treatment are subject to ready demonstration.

In one method of demonstration, our treating composition is applied to the textile material, the textile ma- 5 terial dried, and the dried material exposed to electrification and compared with the result for the same textile without treatment. When untreated nylon, for instance, is rubbed against Dacron and then brought up to a voltmeter such as used in the textile industry for measuring static, the charge on the nylon throws the needle off the scale which reads to 10 major divisions. When the nylon so rubbed against Dacron and similarly tested has been pretreated with our antistatic and rewetting composition, dried, and rubbed in comparable manner against Dacron, there is no substantial throw of the needle of the voltmeter or, at the most, a deflection of the order of one division.

The effect on moisture absorption is equally easily demonstrated. Drops of water applied to the untreated nylon, Dacron, or like fabric stand up on the surface as deformed spheres. Drops applied to such textiles, on which our treatment has been applied and dried, spread over the surface just about as rapidly as water drops spread over cotton or viscose rayon cloth.

It is significant, however, that materials that give the water spreading properties do not alone give antistatic properties satisfactory for our purpose. Thus polyhydric alcohols in limited proportions give only low antistatic effect. They are necessary, however, in our composition to promote antistatic functioning of the whole and particularly of our special amine component, so as to meet the antistatic requirement.

For such antistatic level and also adequate rewetting properties, the amine used is one that contains one or more hydroxy groups and also at least one aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 824 carbon atoms. Examples of the hydrocarbon groups in our amines are the alkyls such as one of the various isomeric octyl, dodecyl, lauryl, and stearyl groups. The straight chain and isomeric C8-C24 hydrocarbon groups that are available commercially in hydroxy amines are satisfactory. Examples of such amines that we use are the alkylol amines of the type formula R.N CzHrOH .CH2.CH2.CH2.N( CzHtOH) 2 (C2H40) 1H RN\ (021140) 9R1 Here the alkylene oxide used is C2H4O, R' is a C8C24 alkyl, R a lower (C1-C7) alkyl or hydrogen, x an integer Within the range 1-60, y an integer within the nange 0-60, and x+y equal 1-60. When y=0, there is one hydrogen or a lower alkyl attached directly to the amine nitrogen.

Other examples of the type are in which 1: has the same meaning as above and R is a 08-024 alkylene group. In this formula, the ethyl groups may be replaced by hydrogen or alkyl groups examples of which are methyl, propyl, and dodecyl,

Additional examples of the alkylene oxide treated amines that we may use are the hydroxy quaternary ammonium salts, such as in which x has the same meaning as :above and R and R are the same or diiferent alkyls one of which contains 8-24 carbon atoms. A specific example of such compound is 2-hyd roxyethyl hydrogenated tallow ammonium chloride.

The amine component is suitably a mixture of amines containing varying amounts of alkylene oxide. When such mixture is employed, very satisfactory results as to antistatic properties and rewetting of the textile are obtained when one of the amines contains 15-60 of the alkylene oxide units and the other contains not more than 10 such units less than in the first derivative. An example is a mixture of oxyalkylated amines, one amine containing 15 alkylene oxide units and the other containing not more than 5 such units.

In all cases sufficient alkylene oxide units are used to give either water dispersibility or actual solubility.

Commercial amines that we use to advantage are those derived from the aliphatic primary amines from tallow, coconut oil, or soya oil, into which amines the alkylene oxide units or groups are introduced in the proportions stated. Commercial products of these types that we have used are Ethomeen T/12, T/25, C/25, 8/12, and 8/25, T, C and S standing here for tallow, coconut oil, and soya oil, respectively, as the starting raw material and the figures 12 and 25 for the number of ethylene oxide units plus 10 introduced per molecule of the amine. Thus 12 indicates the introduction of 2 ethylene oxide units. The compounds from tallow (Ethomeen T) contain substantially exclusively hexadecyl, octadecyl, and octadecylecne radicals represened by R in the amine formula RN=. Those from coconut oil (C) and soya oil (S) contain the same R radicals as the Ethomeen T. In addition (C) contains a large proportion of CaC14 radicals and (S) linoleic radicals (C18, doubly unsaturated).

The polyhydric alcohol used is one which is water soluble and substantially non-volatile, that is, at ordinary temperatures. Polyethylene glycol of molecular weight approximately 200 (Polyglycol 200) is particularly satisfactory in promoting the antistatic properties of the remainder of the composition. Other polyhydric alcohols that illustrate the general properties required and that may be used are other polyglycols, glycerine, propylene glycol, and sorbitol.

The surface active agent, when used, is one that is anionic and a good emulsifying agent for hydrocarbon fluids. Examples are sulfated isopropyl oleate, keryl benzene sulfonate, and lauryl sulfate, all in the form of the sodium, potassium, or like soluble salt.

When a lower monohydric aliphatic alcohol is used to improve the clarity of the solution at the time of application to the textile material, the alcohol is suitably any one of the C1-C aliphatic alcohols. Other organic solvents may be substituted for the alcohol, as for example, acetone, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and lower glycol ethers. The compound selected for this purpose must be soluble in water and a solvent for the mixture of the other ingredients.

Additional materials may be incorporated when desired, as, for example, optical brighteners and perfumes.

As to proportions of the amine and polyhydric alcohol, we use about 50-95 parts of the amine for 100 parts combined weight of the amine component and polyhydric alcohol.

When the surface active agent is used its proportion is approximately 0.5-10 parts for 100 of the mixture of amine and polyhydric alcohol. The monohydric alcohol is used in any proportion to dilute the whole to the extent desired. Fifty parts of the alcohol for 100 of the said mixture is sufiicient to give the desired clarity but additional alcohol may be used when desired for further dilution of the treating composition for application to the textile material.

In the application of the treating composition to the textile fabric or other form of the textile material to be treated, the composition is applied in amount to give the desired antistatic and rewetting properties. This amount may be very small as within the range 0.0l%5% of the weight of the textile being treated. Larger proportions than 5% are unnecessary and uneconomical. In commercial treatments we use ordinarily 0.1%3% of the treating composition on the weight of the texile material, both being on the dry basis. The amount required varies with the kind of textile treated and would be less, although Within the broader range stated, for such materials as wool than with nylon or Dacron that are particularly susceptible to receiving a static charge and are conspicuously non-wetting.

The invention will be further illustrated by detailed description in connection with the following examples of the practice of it. In these examples and elsewhere herein the proportions are expressed as parts by weight.

While the order of mixing is not critical it is convenient to mix the hydroxyamine and the polyhydric alcohol and then to stir in the additional ingredients, if any, including the solvent such as the C1-C3 alcohol. The whole mixture is warmed if necessary to give apparent or actual homogeneity, a temperature of 45-50 C. ordinarily being adequate for the formation of a practically clear solution. With such technique, compositions are made of the formulas shown.

Example 1 Proportion Ethomeen S/12 20 Ethomeen C/25 5 Glycerine 10 Sodium keryl benzene sulfonate 5 Ethyl alcohol 60 Example 2 Ethomeen C/12 3O Ethomeen T/25 4 Polyethylene glycol 200 20 Sodium salt of sulfonated petroleum hydrocarbon (Socony Sulfonate 784) 6 Methyl alcohol 40 Example 3 Ethomeen T/ 12 50 Ethomeen S/25 2 Sorbitol 20 Sodium mahogany sulfonate (Petronate L) 8 Isopropyl alcohol 20 Example 4 Ethomeen S/20 40 Ethomeen T/60 5 Propylene glycol 20 Sodium lauryl sulfate 2 N-propyl alcohol 33 Example 5 The procedure of Examples 1-4 is followed except that there is substituted for the various Ethomeens listed any one of the materials disclosed herein as an alternative for the ingredient substituted, the substitution being on an equal weight basis.

The compositions, when applied to nylon, Dacron, Orlon and like textile material subject to assumption of a static charge, provide a satisfactory antistatic effect and also rewetting property to the textile.

It will be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which 5 do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. An antistatic and rewetting composition for application to textile material comprising 1) a water dispersible ethoxylated hydroxy tertiary amine containing a Cs-C24 unsubstituted alkyl group directly attached to the amine nitrogen and (2) a water soluble, substantially non-volatile polyhydric alcohol in unesterified condition, the polyhydric alcohol serving to increase the antistatic e'lfect of the amine and the proportions being 5095 parts by weight of the amine to 100 of combined weight of amine and polyhydric alcohol.

2. The composition of claim 1 in which the polyhydric alcohol is polyglycol of molecular weight approximately 200.

3. The composition of claim 1 in which the amine 6 component is a mixture of at least two amine derivatives, one derivative containing 1560 alkylene oxide units and the other containing not more than 10 fewer such units than the first derivative.

4. The composition of claim 1 in which the amine contains 1-60 units of a C1C3 alkylene oxide.

5. An antistatic and wettable textile product comprising 1) a textile material that is normally subject to static and is non-wetting on the application of water thereto and (2) the composition of claim 1 applied thereover in the proportion of 001-5 parts by weight for 100 of the textile material, both on the dry basis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN ANTISTATIC AND REWETTING COMPOSITION FOR APPLICATION TO TEXTILE MATERIAL COMPRISING (1) A WATER DISPERSIBLE ETHOXYLATED HYDROXY TERTIARY AMINE CONTAINING A C8-C24 UNSUBSTITUTED ALKYL GROUP DIRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE AMINE NITROGEN AND (2) A WATER SOLUBLE, SUBSTANTIALLY NON-VOLATILE POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL IN UNESTERIFIED CONDITION, THE POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL SERVING TO INCREASE THE ANTISTATIC EFFECT OF THE AMINE AND THE PROPORTIONS BEING 50-95 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF THE AMINO TO 100 OF COMBINED WEIGHT OF AMINE AND POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL. 